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Fuller Albright: pioneer in the field of endocrinology
Albright made many contributions to the endocrine field — in parathyroid disease, sex hormone disturbances and bone metabolism.
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Fuller Albright may be unparalleled in his contributions to modern endocrinology; however, his name is not normally among the most prominent physicians discussed as pioneers in the field.
Albright’s research spanned many areas including parathyroid disease, sex hormone disturbances and bone metabolism. During his career, he discovered or described at least eight, to as many as 20, previously unknown diseases and syndromes. For this reason, the eponym Albright’s syndrome could have multiple applications.
Interest in endocrinology
Albright was born Jan. 10, 1900 to a wealthy family in Buffalo, N.Y. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1924. During an internship at Massachusetts General, he was initiated into the field of parathyroid gland and calcium metabolism research.
Albright briefly specialized in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins where together with Read Ellsworth he published research about the first classified case of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism in 1928. Together they found that the parathyroid hormone plays a role in regulating calcium levels in the blood. They used the parathyroid hormone to treat patients who presented with hypoparathyroidism.
After studying in Vienna for two years, Albright returned to Massachusetts General as an associate professor, where he stayed for the remainder of his career. During his time there, Albright pioneered new concepts in endocrinology and taught many up-and-coming investigators who would go on to become leaders in the field.
In 1936, he began to show symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. He lived with the disease, largely ignoring it, for the next two decades. During this time he made some of his most important contributions to the field.
Research unraveled
Albright developed several diagnostic tests that were instrumental in the identification of diseases later in his career. He developed a test for measuring gonadotropins in urine, which made it possible to characterize types of amenorrhea and certain disorders of testicular function.
He also introduced a method for determining follicule-stimulating hormones. This method allowed him to distinguish between gonadal dysgenesis and other forms of primary amenorrhea and different forms of eunuchoidism.
Around 1937, Albright first described what was later called McCune-Albright syndrome: a genetic disease that affects the bone and pigmentation of the skin. It causes hormonal problems and is usually characterized by premature puberty in girls.
For many years, Albright spent time classifying patients with gynecomastia. A student of his, Harry F. Klinefelter, was assigned to further describe the syndrome for publication. In 1942, they published their results in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. In it they described nine men “characterized by gynecomastia, aspematogenesis without a-Leydigism, and increased excretion of follicle-stimulating hormone.” The syndrome was later called Klinefelter’s syndrome.
In later years, Albright made additional discoveries involving the parathyroid. He was the first to describe a rare form of bone disease, called pseudohypoparathyroidism or Albright osteodystrophy, which is caused by lack of response to parathyroid hormone instead of deficiency of parathyroid hormone. People with this disease often have low serum calcium levels in the blood, leading to problems with short stature or obesity.
He also classified pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. In this condition, patients present with characteristics of pseudohypoparathyroidism but have normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in their serum.
Albright also made several small discoveries in women’s health in the first half of the 19th century. Due to his work with hormones and bones he was one of the first physicians to call attention to the thinning of bone in postmenopausal women. Later, his experiments with estrogens and progesterone for the treatment of dysmenorrhea would be a precursor to using hormones as birth control.
Widespread contributions
His contributions are even more widespread than listed here. He published 118 papers during his career on topics including the effect of parathyroid hormone on the kidneys, vitamin D resistant rickets, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Cushing’s syndrome and more.
In 1956, almost completely debilitated from his disease, Albright insisted on having an experimental brain surgery to try to alleviate his symptoms. The surgery was unsuccessful and caused him to live in a vegetative state until his death in 1969.
As a tribute, The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research recognizes Albright’s contribution to the field with The Fuller Albright Award. This award is given to someone who achieves scientific accomplishment before his or her 41st birthday. – by Leah Lawrence
For more information:
- Amory JK, Anawalt BD, Paulsen CA, Bremner WJ. Klinefelter’s syndrome. Lancet. 2000;356:333-335.
- Klinefelter HF, Reifenstein EC, Albright FS. Syndrome characterized by gynecomastia, aspermatogenesis without a-Leydigism and increased excretion of follicle-stimulating hormone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1942;2:615-624.
- National Academy of Science. Biographical Memoirs. 1976;48.
- Schwartz TB. How to learn from patients: Fuller Albright’s exploration of adrenal function. Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:225-229.
- Thomopoulou H. Fuller Albright 1900-1969. Hormones. 2002;1:192-193.